(6529) Rhoads Main-belt Asteroid

Discovered on 14 December 1993 by Palomar at Palomar.

Named in honor of R. Rhoads Stephenson for his significant contributions to the advancement of technology needed and used for the exploration of outer space by robotic spacecraft. A mechanical engineer by training, he was a deputy director at the California Institute of Technology Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where he was responsible for the development and application of technology which broadly supports the United States space exploration mission. He has published in the areas of earth-based tracking and orbit determination, orbit evaluation techniques, spacecraft attitude and articulation control, flight computers, telerobotics, space power and electric propulsion.Naming citation (19981005/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL

Where Rhoads is today

Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Rhoads is 2.12 au from the Sun and 2.96 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.

Facts

Number	6529
Provisional designation	1993 XR2
Orbit class	Main-belt Asteroid
Diameter	4.31 km (#12,025 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size)
Albedo	0.455
Rotation period	9.73 hours
Absolute magnitude (H)	13.99
Orbital period	3.59 years
Semi-major axis	2.35 au
Perihelion – aphelion	2.04 – 2.65 au
Eccentricity	0.131
Inclination	6.52°
Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID)	1.07 au

Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.

Also discovered on 14 December 1993

(6420) Riheijyaya

More named asteroids discovered by Palomar

← (6528) Boden · (6530) Adry →